Summer weekdays in Abu Dhabi aren’t so quiet any more. On July 29, more than 14,000 people packed into Etihad Arena to see Jennifer Lopez perform as part of her greatest hits tour.
According to data from venue operator Ethara, half the audience in the arena were tourists from across Asia and India, while the rest were from across the UAE.
The response has driven David Powell, chief strategy and business development officer at Ethara, to start planning another high-profile gig for the same time next summer.
"We had three events in Etihad Arena in July – the [indoor motorcycle race] Arena Cross, UFC Fight Night and Jennifer Lopez on a Tuesday,” he tells The National. “Twelve months ago, the idea of programming an artist in July would have been considered a risk. That gave us the confidence to go ahead and break that myth."
The buzz comes on the back of international and local promotional campaigns by tourism authorities to recast Abu Dhabi – and the UAE more broadly – as a top summer holiday destination. State news agency Wam recently noted the shift, reporting national hotel occupancy rates of 60 to 70 per cent in July and early August, with safety, infrastructure and an expanding roster of seasonal events among the key drivers.
Mark Jan Kar, general manager of Dubai's 17,000 capacity Coca-Cola Arena, says the indoor venue has developed strategies to tackle summer constraints. In June, the arena hosted Khaleeji pop group Miami Band, followed in July by a sold-out show from Filipino pop star TJ Monterde. The schedule continues with Pakistani ghazal maestro Rahat Fateh Ali Khan on August 30.
"Our summer programme focuses on South-East Asian, Filipino and Arabic shows in June and late August. We avoid western acts in July because much of that expatriate audience is away," Kar says.
The approach proved successful this year, with promoters relying on the venue for feedback. "Our July 13 show with TJ Monterde sold out, for example – we advised the promoter to stage it on a Sunday, because that fit the working demographic," Kar recalls. Such collaboration with stakeholders is crucial, particularly when the energy costs of running the arena in the summer remain a significant operational challenge.
"When the outside temperature is in the high forties and you need to keep the arena at 21°C to 23°C, that's a lot of power," he says. "If your energy costs double compared to December, while your target demographic is reduced by up to a third, the economics matter."
But venues have learnt to work within these constraints, rather than avoiding summer altogether. In turn, the trend has helped shift artist perceptions about the viability of performing in the UAE in the summer. "What used to be considered impossible – staging a summer show in the Middle East – is now at least a conversation," Kar says. "Performances are the same in summer and winter inside multipurpose arenas."
New summer audience
These changing attitudes are matched by a perceived demographic shift in summer audiences. Thomas Ovesen, chief executive of All Things Live Middle East, recalls organising a show with British band Keane in May 2013 as part of a festival that drew "an overwhelmingly male audience" – reflecting the notion at the time that most families travelled abroad during the summer months.
"It used to be the wife and kids would be away for the summer holidays while the husband stayed in the UAE working longer, before joining them later in the holiday," he says. "The market today is different – fewer people leave for the entire summer, more tourists come in for reduced hotel rates and shopping, and there's a much bigger mix of people in town."
This shift towards year-round gigs means summer programming needs to become more varied. "I think we'll see much more non-family entertainment over the summer months, reflecting the fact that both visiting and resident audiences want regular entertainment because they are in town," Ovesen says. "From a programming point of view, we have to be much more sophisticated. Even if we're not going for the same market we target in peak season, there's a very diverse audience to engage."
The retail sector has adapted accordingly. Abu Dhabi's Galleria Al Maryah Island recently concluded a week of children's activities themed around Transformers, including interactive zones and performances inspired by the characters. Al Ghurair Mall in Dubai staged its Summer Carnival, featuring children's performances, workshops and family dining promotions. BurJuman Mall in Dubai also ran a five-week summer camp with workshops covering music, dance, art and storytelling.
In a statement to The National, BurJuman describes how it has evolved "from being purely a retail destination to an integrated lifestyle hub", with more varied entertainment options to attract the public during the traditionally slower summer months.
Concert traffic flows both ways
With more audiences staying in the UAE and venues adapting to new trends, more summer entertainment options are on offer in the UAE.
Ovesen says Abu Dhabi and Dubai complement one another. Abu Dhabi has attracted top international shows and performers and "the ticket-buying audience is bigger in Dubai", he explains. "With an hour to an hour-and-a-half drive between the two city centres, there's mobility at play," he adds.
This enhances the local tourism dynamic that makes summer shows feasible. There has also been collaboration between venues and promoters in both emirates. "There's a commonality to each promoter – we share advice because collectively we want the ecosystem to be viable," Powell says. "The success of Lopez is a win for the whole industry. It proves you can bring an artist in summer and succeed, which raises the level for everyone."
Such confidence has allowed all parties to keep planning ahead. "We're already programming into 2026 with a much more data-led approach," Powell adds.
The clearest sign of that approach working will be evident long before arena seats are filled, with earlier announcements of big-name artists due to perform. "We, as a venue, are already doing more of that because it's essential to work far in advance with promoters and artists to secure dates," he says. "It gives fans plenty of time to plan, which is especially important in the summer months when they're weighing travel and family commitments. We need to give them a reason to stay here in the summer and that is already starting to happen."
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Six pitfalls to avoid when trading company stocks
Following fashion
Investing is cyclical, buying last year's winners often means holding this year's losers.
Losing your balance
You end up with too much exposure to an individual company or sector that has taken your fancy.
Being over active
If you chop and change your portfolio too often, dealing charges will eat up your gains.
Running your losers
Investors hate admitting mistakes and hold onto bad stocks hoping they will come good.
Selling in a panic
If you sell up when the market drops, you have locked yourself out of the recovery.
Timing the market
Even the best investor in the world cannot consistently call market movements.
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
